Sheep

ARTICLES ABOUT SHEEP BY DATE - PAGE 3

A Jan. 17 letter admonished: "Do not refer to Americans as "sheep'," in regard to an earlier op-ed column. What's the big deal? The metaphors, sheep/shepherd, are in the Bible numerous times and, of course, also in hymns, for instance: "I go to the desert to find my sheep," from "The Ninety and Nine."

I read with profound disgust the Jan. 15 op-ed column by Donald Hoffman. The bile in my throat and the fire in my pen stem from one word: sheep, by which he referred to ordinary civilians. Sheep? Please. The only sheep in this country are the deluded souls who actually believe the debacle in Iraq has anything to do with 9/11. It does not. No matter how much the pro-war "hawk" press pundits would wish it were so, it has been proved not to be the case. It is not a debate, it was (and still is)

By Donald Hoffman, Special to The Morning Call - Freelance | January 15, 2007

Much of my adult life has been spent in the executive branch of government. There was active and reserve duty with the U.S. Navy. There was a year and a half in corrections, and the 10 years as a police officer in the City of Bethlehem. Crucial to the work of the executive branch is the protection of citizens, through law enforcement and military defense of our homeland and national interests. Experience has shown that being part of the executive branch, especially as a member of the military or in law enforcement is often thankless work.

Warren D. Schwartz, 85, of Allen Twp., died Tuesday, January 2, 2007, at Baptist Medical Center, Jacksonville Beach, Fla. he was the husband of the late Myra M. (Moll) Schwartz, who died in 2003. Born in Allen Twp., he was the son of the late David B. and Annie K. (Mushko) Schwartz. Warren was a well-known self-employed pig and sheep farmer for over 70 years, running the family farm in Allen Twp. He also drove school bus for over 33 years before retiring in 1988. He was the master of Harmony Grange, Pennsville, for over 23 years, and member and leader of the 4-H Association showing sheep, steer and pigs, Pennsville.

The September morning after Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton qualified for the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup, their boss Richard Childress hopped on a plane bound for Alaska. Three flights and 10 hours later, he landed in Chistochina, a blink-of-an-eye town located in the south-central part of the state in a region known as the Copper River Valley. Childress had gone there to hunt Dall sheep; tough, high-country creatures that live on AlaskaM- s rugged mountainsides and one of four big-game species in North America that he hadnM- t bagged.

It's less than three hours to showtime at Bethlehem's Celtic Classic and farmer Gene Sheninger hitches up his kilt, rushing to get ready. Meanwhile, his trio of border collies -- whose display of herding prowess draws one of the largest festival crowds each year -- lounge passively in their corners of the living room. "They really don't need to prepare," said Sheninger, describing the routine of his loyal performers whose daytime job is helping him and his wife run their 16-acre Wayside Farm in Boonton, N.J. They also share the farm with eight other border collies.

On Sunday, Lynn Swann discovered one of the great things about campaigning at fairs: You get to dunk your hecklers. The Republican candidate for governor was touring the Allentown Fair when he drew the attention of one of the mouthy clowns who sits in the dunk tank, taunting passers-by. After Swann missed the target with several balls, the clown went for the jugular. "I hope you do better at the polls, buddy," he yelled. That did it. Swann, who had turned to leave, went back to the tank, throwing ball after ball until he hit the target.

Carrie Hartman, 17, of Hamburg laughs with a friend on Wednesday while she sits near her 6-month-old sheep at the Kutztown Fair held at the Kutztown Fairgrounds. The fair continues until Saturday. Hartman's sheep won first place in blocking and grooming.